The Camden Tales

60 - Midday & Midnight

The nuns of St. John's Orphanage had made extensive efforts to send Malka to a reform school. Yet, one of the leading donors to the orphanage threatened to withdraw his financial support if they dispatched the girl to such an institution, given that she had not been formally convicted of a crime.

This much was accurate, though it wasn't due to a lack of persistent attempts by the nuns. The police, displaying a distinct lack of interest in the case, declined to charge the young teenager with any wrongdoing. Amidst this standoff between power, law, and ecclesiastical aspiration, Alf White continued to visit Malka. Kept in shackles, malnourished, and still receiving her frequent beatings, he penned letters to other orphanages, imploring them to accept her.

Some initially expressed interest but promptly withdrew upon learning of her captive status. Others stipulated monetary compensation as a condition for her acceptance. But with Alf's pickpocketing operation under threat from the Italians, he could not amass the requisite funds. He began writing to several Jewish institutions, but since Mr Thomas Fisher had painstakingly erased all traces of Malka's Jewish roots, they declined to take in what appeared to be a Christian child, despite her Jewish forename. Just as Alf lost all hope, something that could only be considered as a miracle happened.

Located in Knights Hill, west of Norwood and south of the River Thames, was an orphanage devoted to caring for and educating Jewish orphans. Upon receiving Alf's missive, they took a keen interest in Malka's case, believing firmly that her circumstance resulted from maltreatment and that she was indeed a Jewish child in dire need. The added advantage was that private donors bankrolled their establishment, eliminating the need for additional funding and thereby shielding the orphanage from corruption by external sources of income.

As a result, the Jews' Hospital and Orphan Asylum took immediate and decisive action, liberating Malka from the oppressive clutches of the nuns and welcoming her to the teachings of her Jewish heritage and faith.

To Alf's great relief, Malka did well in her new environment. She was not only discovering her own culture and acquiring practical skills for future employment in domestic services but, most importantly, was free from any form of abuse that he could see. The adults and the other girls seemed welcoming and kind, and Malka even developed a new friendship with a girl named Faith.

Life at the Jewish orphanage was far more relaxed for Malka. Her days still commenced at six in the morning, but now, they began with a visit to the Synagogue instead of the Chapel. Education and domestic duties consumed significantly fewer hours, providing the girls ample leisure time for play and socialisation. Alf still made his monthly visits on Sunday afternoons, and despite the considerable time and expense required to reach South London, he didn't miss a single month. However, during the summer month of August, Alf's visit would not be taking place.

For three weeks every summer, the school closed. Since 1904, the Jewish orphanage had maintained a holiday home in Margate, providing a seaside break for the orphans. It was an annual event the children looked forward to every summer.

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-=₪ August 1906 ₪=-

Beach / Margate / 11.34am

The warm, sandy beach shimmered under the bright summer sun, glittering like gold. The Jewish orphan boys and girls were separated by a few hundred yards of coastline, marked by wooden posts and vibrant fabric, segregating them from the public, who indulged in the beach's pleasures. Malka settled onto the heated sand, holding a blank sheet of paper above her head. It cast a soft shadow over her face as she examined it intently.